Is There a Hidden Correlation between Research Visibility and Funding Success?

Applying for grants has now turned into a really fierce game. There’s no shortage of very-qualified people applying to funding bodies in the hopes of getting a slice of the pie.

One of the most important criteria for success (which often goes under the radar for early-career researchers and scientists) is research visibility.

Funding agencies need evidence of impact. If the researchers already have established records of their work appearing in top tier venues or having a wide impact (and therefore visible to reviewers), it automatically put them at an advantage. Citing rates, metrics for publication, as well as how engaged the researchers have been throughout their career will make the review panel easily asses you work.

Furthermore, if work is visible to the reviewers it will be much easier for them to find them and assess whether they are at a par or even better than other candidates. A scholar who regularly shows at international conferences, writes numerous papers and actively engage with collaborators and peers would automatically rank higher.

An important related point is that researchers need to actively demonstrate influence. When the review panel evaluate applications, they are not solely looking at the numbers of publications or citations per year but also at a wide range of additional measures of impact such as citation, policy influence, impact on public discourse, interdisciplinary collaborations, teaching and research impact beyond Academia, among others. Being active in communicating your work would reinforce and expand these measures of impact.

I believe that open access publishing has a great potential in increasing chances to obtain grants and funds in many ways. When work is available in the open (e.g. Open access), wider exposure and more readers are generated, which further strengthen the case for impactful work.

Various digital tools and platforms can aid this as well: Creating strong online profiles (e.g. ORCID, researchgate, personal professional website) where research output is deposited helps increase visibility and access to the work. Also publicising research activities on social media or at events such as the Researchers’ nights could contribute to raising profile and making work discoverable for the funders.

Investing in building a good research visibility should be seen as part of your overall strategy for funding and as a continuous activity throughout your academic life. Researchers who want to secure grant support should actively seek to produce cutting edge work and communicate it effectively.

As research evaluation become more refined year by year, researchers who master both the quality and the visibility of their work are likely to see more success in funding rounds. Funding tends to follow impact, and impact begins with visibility.

Read More: https://www.globalxpublications.com/blog/how-to-increase-research-citations-and-academic-visibility